New California State Immigration Laws for 2018

The state of California has always been a national hub for immigrants. It has a large coastline and also shares a border with Mexico, so the state has dealt with many immigration issues and specific laws over the years. For the new year of 2018, California has enacted three new immigration laws that have already taken immediate effect.

“Sanctuary state” status: Our blog has already written an article about this new law when it was first introduced, with many more details and researched facts. To recap, this law prohibits state and law enforcement agencies from detaining someone on federal immigration laws. Police are not allowed to ask about someone’s immigration status or arrest them based on their immigration rank.

Landlords cannot report tenants to ICE: Landlords in California are hereby restricted from reporting any of their tenants to ICE, which is the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They cannot do this based on vague suspicion, or from illegal researching on their own time. Landlords also cannot use a tenant’s immigration status to threaten to evict them from the property.

Workplace immigration inspections are limited: Assembly Bill No. 450 has disallowed any California employer from permitting an ICE workplace inspection without an official warrant. Employers also have to inform employees within 72 hours of receiving a federal inspection notice.

These new immigration laws are extremely important for the state of California. They will help keep legal immigrants protected from unnecessary privacy searches, and they will also keep law enforcement in check when it comes to fair and justified immigration standards.

If you would like to know more about any California immigration news, or if you need an experienced immigration lawyer to help you with your US visa requirements, contact the Law Offices of Sweta Khandelwal today for an appointment.